Future Husband
by ColeTurner21
Summary: Cole finally gets another chance for happiness. It's my first story so please R R
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In a lovely decorated flat near the golden gate park sits a beautiful woman in her late thirties on her comfortable blue sofa. The sun is shining through the windows therefore the room is bathed in light and appears to be warm and cozy. She is rummaging through some photos that are spread out on the table in front of the sofa. The woman takes each photo and looks at it closely for minutes before she puts it down on the table and takes a sip from her coffee. As a professional photographer she could do that for hours or even days. Suddenly the phone rings and she picks it up "Halliwell". "Hi Prue, do you have time for a family dinner today?" Piper asks while already cooking for the big family dinner. "I don't know Piper. I have to finish the wedding assignment and I still can't decide which photos are the best." Prue wants the photos to be perfect as always. „Please Prue, Phoebe and Paige will also be here and even dad wants to come so it's a real family dinner" the chef begs her big sister. "Okay I will try but I can't promise anything" she finally gives in and is already looking forward to see her whole family. "Okay 7 o'clock, see you later" Piper puts down the receiver before Prue can answer. The oldest Halliwell witch smiles and continues to look through the photos.

Five minutes early the doorbell rings in the Halliwell manor. Piper quickly opens the door "Why do you ring the bell?". "That's the normal way to announce your attendance Piper" Prue is still a smart-ass. "Still don't like to orb I see" her sister chuckles. "I just like to drive sometimes okay" the oldest Halliwell sister gives Piper a hug and then a little present with her favourite chocolate. "You don't have to bring a present. For me you're the present" she smiles still incredibly happy to have her big sister back. "Thanks I think. Where is everyone?" Prue enters her childhood home and feels immediately comfortable though it slightly changed due to the kids. „You are early as usual and our sisters will be late as usual" the chef returns to her kitchen while the kids play in the renovated living room. With the new sofa and also the new furniture the room looks finally modern especially with all the toys spread out on the ground. "Hey my cute little nephews" she greets Pipers sons Wyatt and Chris who are on the ground playing with some Lego. "Hi aunt Prue" both boys answer but continue to play. "Hey little one" the proud aunt walks over to the newest 6 month old family member Melinda who is sleeping peacefully.

"Where is Leo?" she immediately notices the absence of her brother in law when she enters the kitchen. "I don't know but I am sure he is working as usual" the wife remarks bitterly. "I am sure he would be here if he could Piper" Prue tries to vote for Leo although she isn't convinced of his love for Piper anymore. "I don't know. I feel like I am a single parent and I really hoped he would be here more often after Melinda's birth" she tries to hide her tears but of course her sister notices. Prue embraces her in a bear hug and tries to dry her unshed tears but the sisterly moment is interrupted abruptly by the doorbell. "I go and you cook" Prue smiles and walks over to the door. "Hi Dad" she lets Victor into the house after a warm welcome hug. "Hi Prue, how are you?" Victor doesn't see her as often as he wants to. "Busy dad as usual" she smiles at him and they go into the living room where Victor hugs the boys and then Piper who enters the living room as well.

Suddenly there are red lights which form into Phoebe, her husband Coop and her daughter Penny. "Hey Prue" Phoebe quickly hugs her often absent sister. Of course the rest of the family members also exchange hugs and kisses till everyone is greeted properly. In the end Paiges orbs into the living room with a stressed out look on her face. "Sorry I had to help one of my charges" she quickly explains and greets everyone with a hug. "Please all sit down, dinner will be ready in 5 minutes" the chef announces proudly and returns to her kitchen. All 3 children run to their special table while the adults sit down on the dining table. "So what did you do the last weeks Prue?" Phoebe is curious and wants to break the awkward silence. "Nothing special, just work and more work" Prue still loves her work dearly. "So no nice man at your doorstep?" her younger sister teases. "No Phoebe there wasn't any man at my doorstep except the postman" she is clearly annoyed. "Is he single?" she can't stop to taunt Prue. "I don't know but I am sure he will retire soon" the oldest sister is quick at repartee. The whole family laughs but deep inside Prue feels lonely. She would never admit it in front of anyone but she would love to finally meet someone who sweeps her off her feet. That's why she is glad when Piper enters the dining room with her hands full of food and immediately the last topic is forgotten. Victor puts the bowls on the table and Piper walks back into the kitchen to fetch the other bowls. After everything is on the table she takes the seat next to her dad and smiles proudly at all the delicious looking food. "Well I am glad that everyone is here and enjoy your meal" she gives the start signal. The plates are filled quickly and everyone enjoys the family dinner which lasts almost till midnight. Little did they know that outside at the window was the one person who would change their lives soon.


	2. Chapter 2

chapter 2

The next day on a little not very popular beach Prue is making some photos. It is lunchtime but on the beach are only few people instead many seagulls. Although it's still winter and the air is cold the sun is shining brightly. So it's the perfect background for wonderful beach photos and that's why Prue's finger can't stop to release the shutter. But then she notices a young woman at the end of the beach sitting on a little cliff. She is tall maybe 5'9" and looks beautiful especially cos the ocean is reflecting the sun light in a perfect way. As a photographer Prue can't resist and takes some pictures of this Kodak moment. They will be wonderful examples for beach photos in her portfolio. She quickly checks the photos on the display but when she is looking at the cliff again the woman disappeared. Oddly enough Prue feels like she lost something but of course she quickly shakes that feeling off as it is simply ridiculous.

Back at home she is still thinking about this woman and therefore decides to develop the negatives in her own little lab next to the kitchen. The photos have become well and now Prue is starring at the ones with the woman. She has a weird feeling while she is watching closely at the woman's face. Even though she is smiling slightly she looks kind of sad and a little bit depressed. Suddenly the doorbell rings and makes Prue jump cos she was lost in the eyes of the mysterious woman. She quickly opens the door and looks again straight into the sparkling emerald green but sad eyes of the woman from the beach. The woman must be in her early twenties and has dark wavy long hair. Again Prue has a strange feeling and something about her is very familiar. "Hello" Prue is still slightly irritated but on alert. "Hello, I hope I am not disturbing?" Phoenix shyly asks cos she doesn't know how to approach her. "No, how can I help you?" the witch is wary of the stranger. "Well my name is Phoenix and maybe we could talk privately?" the young woman looks around indicating the other apartment doors in the corridor. "Sorry but I don't know you. So you have to tell me why you are here right where we are now." Prue is a little bit rude and steps out of the doorframe into the corridor. Phoenix smiles at her and closes the door behind her with her telekinesis. "Oh. Maybe we rather talk privately" Prue understands now and they enter her flat and sit down on the sofa. "Did you stalk me back on the beach?" the witch's voice is still full of mistrust. "Yes, sorry about that. I didn't know how to approach you" Phoenix doesn't want to spill the truth about their connection yet. "Okay, then what can I do for you. You are a witch right?" Prue tries to read her thoughts but she doesn't get through which didn't happen until now. "Yes I am a witch and I am from the future" she tries to hide her nervousness but the older and experienced witch notices immediately. "Why are you so nervous?" she wants to know. „I just don't know exactly how to tell you why I am here" Phoenix is honest about her emotions. "Is that the reason why you block my telepathy?" Prue is also honest. The young woman immediately blushes and looks down cos she could never lie successfully. "So there is another reason. Okay let me get this straight. You will lower your blockade now or I will throw you out of my home in seconds." she is impatiently as always and keeps a closely eye on the stranger's reaction. "I will do so if you promise me to listen to me first whatever you will read in my thoughts." Phoenix demands from the Halliwell witch. "I will" she answers short. „No you have to promise it". „Okay I promise on my mother's grave. Now lower your blockade" she demands now too and is really curious what exactly the secret of that stranger is. Phoenix tries to concentrate on nothing which isn't easy especially since she has many things to hide. "So why are you here and don't try to lie cos remember I can read your thoughts" the telepath knows exactly how she can disclose a secret. "I am from the future and you have to help me to save my family" Phoenix is satisfied cos it wasn't a lie just not the whole truth. "Okay and what is the whole truth" Prue hears her thoughts of course. 'Shit' the young woman immediately thinks. "Hey no swearing". _‚Oh no now she is angry'_. „I am not angry just tell me already what you want". _'You can't tell her everything, she will kill you'_. „Why should I kill you?". _‚Oh my god no don't think, don't think'_. „Hey tell me why should I kill you?" Prue is impatiently and by now annoyed _. 'Oh I don't know maybe because I am a demon'_. „You what? Get out of my home demon" Prue stands up immediately. „No wait I am just a half demon" Phoenix tries to rescue the situation. "There is no difference" Prue looks dangerously angry at the half demon and already moves her hand to throw the demon directly into the wall. Immediately Phoenix' eyes well up with tears and she shimmers away disappointed and without another word.

The half demon shimmers to her favourite spot in France where her dad loved to holiday with her and her mother. She sits down in the sand of the beautiful beach and takes out a picture from her jacket. While looking at the picture she can't stop the tears and starts to cry bitterly. It is a picture of her father which she always keeps with her. It takes an hour for her to calm down eventually and to get over the disappointed first try to get Prue's help. She wipes away her tears and puts her dad's picture over her heart. "I will not let you down dad" she determined kisses the picture and puts it back in her jacket.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A few days later in the afternoon Phoenix sits on a wooden bench in front of Prue's apartment building. The last days she tried to figure out a plan to convince the stubborn witch. Unfortunately she didn't really find a solution cos she still doesn't know how to gain Prue's trust without telling her too much. So she decided to talk to her again and listen to her gut feeling while explaining the situation. Hopefully she will not kill her on the spot and listen first. As soon as Phoenix sees Prue she hops off the bench and slowly walks over to her. Always on alert Prue notices someone approaching from the corner of her eye and immediately turns around. When she recognizes the half demon she rolls her eyes and groans in exasperation. Not in the mood for the annoying woman she tries to get away quickly but the half demon follows her. "Wait. Can we talk please?" Phoenix nearly begs and tries the puppy eyes which always work in the future. "There is nothing to talk. Leave or I will make you" the witch hisses dangerously close to Phoenix face. "No" the half demon crosses her arms defiantly. The witch didn't expect that and is slightly shocked but also a little bit impressed. "Just give me 5 minutes please" Phoenix sees the chance to get through to her. Prue looks into her pleading eyes and can't help but sympathise with her.

"Okay but one wrong move and you're toast" she gets into her flat with Phoenix and they sit down. "Well you have 5 minutes so better start now" Prue is impatiently. "Okay so I am half demon/half witch and I am for sure not evil in any way." Phoenix starts but is interrupted immediately. "Where did I hear that before" Prue comments flippantly and rolls her eyes. The young woman needs all of her patience to stay calm and continue to explain. "In my future something bad happened and I need to change that cos it destroyed my whole family" the young woman whispers the last words sadly. "I'm sorry about that but I can't trust you. After all you're still a demon and demons betray one's trust without batting an eye" Prue admits unemotional though she feels sorry for the young woman's loss. Phoenix is sad and has to fight back the tears which don't go unnoticed by Prue. "I can touch the book" she suddenly has an inspiration and smiles at the witch. "Which book?" the Halliwell sister plays dumb. "The book of Shadows of course. I can touch it and that's the proof I am good" Phoenix is happy she found a way to convince Prue. "Peachy idea but the book isn't here and I can't exactly borrow it cos a demon wants to touch it" Prue isn't a fool. _'Aunt Piper would explode like a volcano'_ Phoenix smiles about the image in her head. "Aunt Piper?" Prue is shocked to hear that word in the stranger's thoughts. "Uh, well I mean …" she starts but doesn't know how to explain that now. "We're related?" Prue feels bad about her behaviour instantly. "Yeah" the young woman is afraid Prue will find out the truth and concentrates on her thoughts. "Oh my god! You are Phoebe's daughter right? I can't believe it! How could she have sex with a demon again! We were happy enough to get rid of the last one she brought home and …" Prue rants and raves without noticing Phoenix rising anger. "Don't talk about him like that!" the half demon is furious and stands up. "Oh no no no don't say to me that you are Cole's daughter. Phoebe would never resurrect him. Oh wait yes she would. I have to prevent her from this huge mistake" Prue wants to orb to her sisters but nothing happens. "She is not my mother!" the half demon wipes away her tears. "Did you just block my orbing?" the witch doesn't know either to be impressed or angry. "I am sorry but you can't tell them anything about this" the half demon starts to cry and Prue's motherly instincts kick in. She goes to her niece and hugs her until she calms down. "Wait who is your mother then?" she remembers when her niece is looking at her. "It can't be Paige she hates this little traitorous …" the witch begins to bitch about him again but stops when she sees her niece's sad face. "It's Piper? How can she leave Leo for him?" but Phoenix shakes her head.

Suddenly the penny is beginning to drop and Prue starts to laugh hysterically. "I am sure hell freezes over before I go anywhere near him" it is just too ridiculous for her. Phoenix takes out some pictures and gives them to Prue. Her mother takes the pictures and looks at them in shock. The first picture is obviously from their wedding cos she is wearing a beautiful white wedding dress and Cole is wearing a black tuxedo. She can't believe it but while kissing they smile happily at each other. The next one is Cole with a little baby in his arms looking proudly at the clearly newborn. Phoenix is somehow relieved that her mother now knows about her. "I have a daughter" Prue says more to herself and Phoenix' hopes are rising. But they are crushed instantly when her mother suddenly drops the pictures. "No no no this isn't real. I would never love a demon and surely don't marry him or have children!" Prue shouts and gets away from her daughter. "Mum please" her daughter begs already crying due to her mother's rejection. "No! I am not your mother. You're a demon. We don't have demons in our family." the witch is unable to cope with the situation. "Dad and I are your family" Phoenix tries to reason with her. "He is dead and that's the best for all of us. Demons are dangerous and we can't trust them. Only a dead demon is a good demon" Prue says without thinking and immediately regrets her words when she is looking into the shocked eyes of Phoenix and clearly sees the sorrow her words caused. The young woman can't believe her mother said something like that to her and shimmers away without another word.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The last days were living hell for the oldest Halliwell sister. By day she was restless and at night she couldn't sleep at all. She just can't forget the look on her daughters face ... No! Prue shakes her head. Stop it! She isn't your daughter. The witch sits down on her sofa and tries to focus on the pictures she had developed earlier. But between those pictures she sees the ones with Phoenix at the beach. The witch immediately sighs and tries to cover Phoenix' face with the other pictures but some of the pictures fall off the table. Annoyed she picks them up until she spots the little pictures from Phoenix on the floor. She totally forgot about them and puts them on the table. The picture with Cole, Phoenix as a baby and herself is on top and Prue looks at it. They really look like a happy family she has to admit but how can she marry Phoebe's ex-husband and worse a demon. Though Cole would be her type of man she could never trust him completely. The longer she stares at the picture the guiltier she feels. Maybe she was a little too hard on the girl and should have acted a little more understanding. Unfortunately Prue doesn't know how to contact her neither where she stays at the moment. "Phoenix?" she tries shyly and waits but no one shimmers into her flat. The witch thinks for a moment and then looks at the picture with Cole and Phoenix as a baby in his arms. She takes out a map of San Francisco as well as her scrying crystal and sits down on the sofa. With one hand she holds the picture of Cole and Phoenix while the other hand holds the crystal over the map. The crystal starts to move immediately and falls down exactly on a closed beach at the west coast of San Francisco. Though she doesn't know exactly what she will tell Phoenix yet Prue grabs her jacket and orbs to the beach.

She arrives on a long sand beach which is surrounded by huge cliffs. The ocean rages and is foamed due to heavy wind. Prue immediately closes her jacket and looks for Phoenix but she can't see anyone cos there are no other people at the beach at all. Suddenly someone shimmers next to her and Prue raises her hands automatically. Of course she lowers them when she recognizes her daughter but before she can greet her the half demon takes her hand and shimmers them on top of a nearby cliff. "What do you do here? How did you find me?" she tries not to scream. "I scryed for you cos I wanted to speak about…well you know" Prue can't even say it out loud. "Okay we will meet at your flat in 30 minutes but now you have to leave" Phoenix is downright nervous. Before her mother can ask any further questions someone shimmers onto the beach below the cliff. The man is tall, has dark short hair and a bottle in his left hand. He staggers through the sand in the direction of the ocean. Phoenix is immediately alerted and concentrates on the man totally forgotten that her mother is right beside her. She secretly tries to influence him carefully and after some slight resistance he falls down into the sand a few meters in front of the ocean. "That's Cole" Prue announces shocked but her daughter doesn't say anything she just stares at her father who tries to stand up but doesn't succeed. Finally accepting that he can't stand up Cole lays down on the sand and drinks from his bottle. "Why isn't he dead?" her mother wants to know. "Not now" is the short answer from her daughter. "Oh yes! Right now you will answer my question" Prue is angry and turns her daughter around so that she loses eye contact with her father. "Mum please I will tell you later but now I have to keep an eye on him" Phoenix begs with watery eyes. "You have to tell me the truth if you want…" the witch is interrupted when Cole starts to yell in frustration. He crushes the bottle within his hand and the shattered glass cuts into his flesh. Blood pours out of his wounds but he obviously doesn't care about it.

Prue starts to move forward but her daughter stops her instantly. "Don't you want to help him?" her mother states surprisingly caring. "Not yet, he would kill you in an instant" her daughter admits sadly cos her father isn't the same man she knows from her future at the moment. "If he is evil I …" Prue starts but is interrupted by Phoenix. „He is not evil! He is just under bad influence" she defends her dad with all her heart. "Leave me alone!" Cole shouts again and grips his head as if he is in pain. "Okay then what do we do?" she wants to know her daughters masterplan. "It will take some time. We have to prepare some things first." Phoenix doesn't look to Prue. „Nooo" suddenly Cole roars and tries to stand up but he is way too drunk to stand upright. The two witches observe him with concerned faces and Phoenix tries not to cry when her dad gets down on his knees and begs the voice in his head to stop. Prue plucks up courage and hugs her daughter but they separate when there is a new arrival at the beach. A tall woman in a dark outfit stands next to Cole and Prue's protective instincts kick in automatically. "It's okay" Phoenix stops her again. "Who is she?". „My grandmother" her daughter isn't really fond of her demonic grandmother. "His mother? I thought she was dead maybe resurrection is a family habit" Prue tries to lighten the mood unsuccessfully. On the beach Cole's mother Eliza stands next to her son and slams her hand roughly on his back. The half demon immediately flinches away but his mother grabs his arm. "What are you doing here crying like a baby!" she now grabs him brutally by the neck and shimmers away with him.

Both Halliwell witches are looking quite upset on the spot where Cole stood a few seconds ago. "Okay you have to tell me everything now" Prue starts to speak first after the sad scenes in front of their eyes. Phoenix just nods and they both return to Prue's flat without speaking another word. Back at the flat Phoenix sits down and Prue makes some tea cos she is chilled to the bone. "Okay so please tell me everything and start with the circumstances of his resurrection" the Halliwell witch returns with the tea cups and sits down too. "When your sisters killed him they thought he was the source but he was just possessed by the source." she starts sadly still looking on the floor. "That's bullshit. He was the source for months and never said a word that he needs help" Prue doesn't believe it at all. "He was just human back then and the source didn't let him warn them. Piper couldn't even fight the spirit which possessed her and she was a witch!" her daughter stands up and screams unable to stay calm. "Okay and how did the Source possess him? My sisters vanquished him" Prue tries to win the argument as usual and successfully indicates Phoenix to sit down again. "When the Source was vanquished his essence went right into dad's void which Belthazor left behind" Phoenix explains comprehensible and Prue keeps quiet. "Dad tried to fight the Source but in the end he lost and when they vanquished the Source dad died with him" tears roll down her face and Prue hugs her. "I am sorry but they had to do it" she justifies the actions of her sisters. "They could have helped him if they just wouldn't always think the worst of him. She didn't even try to understand what happened. They just assumed he wanted to be the Source and for them it's once a demon always a demon" she sobs in her mother's arms. Her mother is feeling guilty although she wasn't even alive at that time. But back when she was alive she didn't behave better than her sisters about Cole's past.

"Okay and how did he come back?" Prue tries to forget the guilt. „Dad burnt in hell until his mother rescued him. She gave him Belthazor back and now he stays with her out of gratitude." she explains the motivation of her father. "So he doesn't really want to be with her" the Halliwell sister understands now. "He hates it but he doesn't have anyone other than his mother and she also influences him." Phoenix wipes away her tears. "So we have to stop the influence" it sounds easy in Prue's view. "We can't stop her influence but we can influence dad in our own right. The trust will be the biggest problem cos he doesn't trust anyone other than himself anymore. He also is unpredictable if he is drunk so we have to be careful" her daughter apparently knows what she's doing. "How do we influence him if he is unpredictable? I am sure he will turn me to ashes as soon as he sees me" Prue doesn't necessarily want to die again. "I will influence him he doesn't know me and I know his weakness so it will be no problem. But we can't change the future so his mother has to trap your sisters and their kids" she spills out and looks into Prue's shocked face. "His mother will trap my sisters? No no no I will not let that happen. If I can warn them then…" her mother objects but Phoenix interrupts. "Mum please, we can't change that cos it is important that dad wants to stop on his own will. I will promise you no one's gonna get hurt. I will be there the whole time and if necessary I will interfere" Phoenix pleads with her big eyes. "I already know you don't like my sisters so why should I trust you with their lives?" her mother did notice all the bitter remarks towards her sisters. "You are right I don't like them cos they tread dad like dirt. But I will not let dad kill them or else there wouldn't be any hope for him" she is honest and looks into her mother's eyes. "Okay and what can I do to help you?" she isn't completely convinced but tries to get more information. "You will get trapped too but Melinda is the key to get dad out of his mother's grasp. She is the best way to awake dad's emotions". "What do you mean awake his emotions?" her mother wants to know everything. "Dad usually drinks alcohol to numb his pain but he also gets potions from his mother to get rid of his emotions completely. I will tell you everything you have to do as soon as I prepared anything else" Phoenix explains vague and wants to end the conversation but Prue doesn't. "What do you mean what I have to do? I will help you to get him out of there okay but I won't do anything further than this. If he tries to get rid of his emotions he will destroy his soul sooner or later maybe it's already too late!" Prue is angry and doesn't like to be bossed around. "Well thanks to your sisters he doesn't care about anything anymore!" Phoenix is angry too but mostly at her aunts. Both women are quiet after their outbursts and fold their arms.

"Okay I am sorry. I will help you of course but I can't promise anything further" Prue tries to compromise after a long silence. "I don't expect anything further. Just help me to get him out of there and after that you can do whatever you want. I will take care of my family" Phoenix stands up and shimmers out.


	5. Chapter 5

New chapter is ready :D thanks for the reviews so far

Hope you like it and let me know if I should continue

chapter 5

The next days Phoenix didn't want to see her mother at all cos she is way too angry and disappointed and maybe would say things she couldn't take back afterwards. So the young woman instead tries to focus on her dad and follows him everywhere to keep him safe. For almost an hour she is sitting on a bench at the promenade and is watching her dad closely. He sits in the sand with many bottles around him and tries to empty them as quickly as possible. Normally the promenade would be full of people and therefore her dad wouldn't be here cos he wants to drown his sorrows alone. But at the moment it's pouring with rain and she is already soaking but she doesn't care about it of course. Instead she is looking sadly at her dad who tries to get rid of his pain to no avail. It doesn't take long until he passes out so Phoenix can relax a little bit. But half an hour later when she hears the sound of orbing she is tensed again. "What do you want?" Phoenix is still angry about Prue's words and doesn't look in her direction. "I just want to say sorry. I didn't mean what I said and…" she tries to explain but is immediately interrupted by her daughter. "Of course you meant it. For you he is just a demon and nothing more I understand that now okay. I don't need your help anymore you can go home and live your precious life. I will take care of him on my own" Phoenix shouts at her mother with an angered face. Prue is taken aback by the venom in her daughter's voice and doesn't know what to say which doesn't happen often. Mother and daughter are starring at each other without another word until they hear the chinking sound of glass bottles. Phoenix grabs her mother and hides immediately behind a tree when her father starts to move. But it seems like the half demon doesn't wake up and is just moving in his sleep.

Suddenly Phoenix has an idea and fortunately she possesses her mother's telepathy but she will not tell her that of course. _'I am sorry dad'_ she thinks so no one can hear and sets some bad memories of Cole free which he pushed to the back of his mind. Her father slowly starts to toss and turn before he starts to lash out and calls for help. The despair in the half demons voice touches Prue's heart as expected and the witch feels sorry for her ex-brother-in-law. "Please help me" Cole shouts desperately and awakes with a start. He sits up and grabs his knees while putting his head on top of them. Tears are streaming down his face now and mix with the raindrops which lacerates Prue's heart instantly. "Can you change my appearance?" the witch can't stand the sight any longer. "Yeah sure but I don't think it's a good idea" Phoenix doesn't want her mum to be killed but Prue just punishes her with a look that leaves no objections. "Okay but be careful and don't touch him." she waves her hand and Prue doesn't look like herself anymore. She walks over to the broken man and kneels beside him which he doesn't even notice. "Hey can I help you?" she quietly asks and Cole's head immediately shoots up. "Hello" Prue smiles at him and looks into his sad eyes. The half demon wants to stand up too quickly and almost falls over if Prue hadn't grabbed his arm to support him. Cole instantly flinches and pulls his arm away before he flees without another word as quickly as he can. The witch looks after him for a while before she lowers her gaze at the empty whiskey bottles on the ground. Therefore she doesn't notice her daughters smiling face and the triumphant sparkling in her eyes. Phoenix changes her mother's face back as soon as Prue approaches her. "God your soaking wet. Let's get you home and warm" she is worried about her daughter and offers her hand. "Oh no thanks, I hate orbing" she shimmers into Prue's flat followed by her mother.

"Wait a minute. I will give you dry clothes and make us some tea" Prue orders and walks into her bedroom. Seconds later she returns with some clothes in her arms and gives them to her daughter. "Thanks" Phoenix walks into the bathroom and changes into the clothes. She looks into the mirror and can't stop the tears running down her face. Her father seemed so desperate when she returned the bad memories but she had to do it she tries to convince herself. "Tea is ready" Prue shouts and Phoenix dries her tears before she walks back into the living room. They sit down and drink some tea but no one speaks. "Okay how do you plan to get Cole out of his mother's hold?" Prue starts after a while cos she can't stand the silence anymore. "Well we have to be really careful cos dad is smart and sneaky and so is his mother. So I thought I will follow him and manipulate his emotions a little bit." "And how do you do that exactly?" Prue wants to know the young woman's plan. „Dad can't resist two things: puppies and children so I will take advantage of that but we also have to manipulate Melinda a little bit". "No we will not manipulate a baby! Piper would never allow something like that" her mother doesn't like that idea of course. "We won't hurt Melinda and Piper doesn't need to know anyway" her daughter shakes it off. "I will not lie to my sisters" Prue is offended and folds her arms obstinately. "Well you have to cos they can't know anything about me or dad. What do you think they would do as soon as they know dad is alive" Phoenix is as stubborn as the rest of the Halliwells. Prue looks down cos she knows of course her daughter is right. "Yeah, they would attack him and believe me they don't stand a chance against dad and his mother. Please trust me I won't let dad hurt anyone of them" her daughter begs with a puppy look on her face.

"Okay so what do I have to do" her mother asks though she isn't sure if she can really help the half demon. "We have to be alone with Melinda so you have to babysit or something like that. It just need to be an hour now and then." Phoenix explains shortly. „And what exactly do you do in that hour?" Prue still doesn't feel comfortable manipulating Melinda. „You don't have to worry. I will change into dad's appearance and play with her. So when he kidnaps her she isn't afraid of him and wants to play. Trust me he can't resist Melinda he never could." she smiles when she remembers the relationship between her cousin and her dad. "Piper did allow him to play with Melinda?" Prue is surprised but regrets her question when she sees the sad expression on her daughters face. "Piper did have nice moments but they were rare and only without your other sisters present" Phoenix sadly admits and tries not to cry again. Prue takes her in his arms immediately and whispers an apology. "I can imagine my sisters weren't too pleased about Cole being back in the family" she smiles and tries to lighten the mood a little. "He wasn't back in the family! He wasn't even allowed to be near Phoebe's or Paige's kids" Phoenix states madly and already sobbing. "I am really sorry about my sister's behaviour but it must be hard for them especially Phoebe to trust him." she tries to defend her sisters. "I can understand that at the beginning but after more than 3 years they still treated him like an enemy and it always hurt dad really bad" Phoenix wipes away her tears and continues. "On my birthdays only Piper and her kids were there cos the others didn't want to come if dad was there too. Dad even offered to stay away so that I could play with all my cousins but of course I didn't want to celebrate without him". "And how did we spend Christmas Eve?" Prue is shocked but also curious about her life with Cole. "We were all at Piper's house except dad" Phoenix answers angry and clenches her fists. "I just left him alone and went to my sisters?" her mother is instantly disappointed by her cruel future actions. "You never wanted to go alone but dad told you to. He wanted me to know my aunts and cousins regardless if they treated him like dirt. But on Christmas Day we stayed at home with dad and that was great. We even shimmered to Alaska to play in the snow and I had so much fun building a giant snowman with you two" Phoenix smiles as she remembers the good days. "That sounds beautiful" Prue is happy to finally hear some good memories. "When we were just the three of us it was always great and we always stuck together" she smiles at her mother and dries her face with her sleeve.

Her mother feels horrible when she remembers she treated Cole the same way when he was together with Phoebe. She always tried to influence her sister to get the half demon out of the family. So she wasn't any better than her future sisters but now she understands how it must have hurt Phoebe and especially Cole. Meanwhile Phoenix is watching her mother closely and she likes what she hears in her thoughts maybe there is a little hope that Prue will eventually take care of her dad after all. For sure she will do everything to convince her mother even if she has to use a spell to get them together. "I am sorry about all the things I said earlier. It's just difficult for me to suddenly see Cole as a victim" Prue interrupts her daughter's thoughts. "It's okay I understand that mum but if you would know all the things that he had to put up with when the source possessed him you wouldn't treat him like that" Phoenix immediately has to fight back her tears. "Then tell me please. I want to understand what really happened" Prue wants to know the truth about the incident but also about her future.

Phoenix ponders if it's a good idea to confront her mother yet but she decides quickly that a little bit pity and sympathy for her dad can't hurt. "Okay so you do remember that after the witch vanquished Belthazor dad looked confused and disoriented. That's because there was suddenly a void where once dad's demon half had been. When the sisters vanquished the source his essence went right into that void and immediately overruled dad cos he was just human. At the beginning dad could control the source but every time he tried to say something he was overpowered and the source also blocked Phoebe's visions.". "He had headaches and Phoebe had always the feeling that a vision was coming but it never happened" Prue remembers Phoebe's stories about that time and Phoenix nods approvingly.

"Dad was clinging to his love vigorously otherwise the source would have taken him over sooner. He tried to fight him as long as he could but of course he didn't stand a chance cos the source was way too strong for him. He even tormented dad in his dreams and used his love for Phoebe to keep him in check. They all know how it is to be possessed and dad was possessed for such a long time. He had to watch how his life was destroyed and could do nothing other than protect his so called family as long as he could. At their wedding attempt in the church the source already had dad almost completely under control and dad's voice was just a whisper in his head. But just because dad … loved her so much he could keep the source from killing them and sometimes regain control for a short time." Phoenix stumbles upon the word love in connection with another woman than her mother. "It was dad who protected young Phoebe when Kurzon attacked. It was dad who saved Paige when no one saw her bleeding to death in the church. It was dad who saved Paige from the power broker and also from the vampires. It was dad who kept the source from killing them with his last remaining strength when they vanquished the source along with himself. Would it have been too much to ask to repay his help for once? They could have saved him!" Phoenix cries by now and Prue too. They both hug each other and give comfort until Phoenix has calmed down a little bit. "I just don't understand how they couldn't notice how dad suffered. If it would have been one of them they would have helped right away but dad was never a family member for them. Just a demon and nothing more. Although dad never chose to be possessed and Phoebe became the Source's queen willingly they killed dad and not her." the young woman cries her eyes out in her mother's arms. "I am so sorry sweetheart. I wish I could turn back time and safe Cole like my sisters were supposed to do." Prue kisses Phoenix' forehead and is truly sorry about Cole's ordeal. "You know what! I will take the ice cream out of the freezer and you choose a movie. We will celebrate a girl evening now" she smiles at her daughter whose face lights up immediately. Prue gets the ice cream while Phoenix has a look at the available movies in Prue's shelf. "Sex and the City, good choice" Prue starts the movie and sits down next to the half demon. Mother and daughter have a great evening together and for a few hours they forget about all the problems that lie ahead of them.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry it took me a while, broke my wrist and couldn't write

Thanks roganjalex, Lushan61 and 20080634 for your reviews :D

Hope you all like the next chapter and let me know if you want to read more please

The next morning Phoenix shimmers into Prue's flat and enters the kitchen where her mother already started to prepare breakfast. "Mmmh smells good" she smiles at her mom and stretches. "I hope you like eggs and bacon on toast" Prue puts the bacon on a plate and they sit down. "It's good mum" Phoenix quickly eats her toast. "You don't have to lie" the older woman smiles back at her. "You will be better in the future trust me" her daughter reassures her and grins. "Really? I can cook? As good as Piper?" her mother is surprised but then if you have a kid and a husband you have to cook sometimes right. "Yeah you can cook but not as good as Piper. Even dad can't cook that good" she drinks her orange juice and puts all the dishes into the dishwasher after her mother finished her breakfast too. "You are really neat for your age" Prue notices and is somehow proud. "Oh please dad has a thing about cleanliness. He always freaks out if I am not keeping everything neat. You always tease him with it being a women thing" Phoenix explains her behaviour. "I am a neat person" her mother is offended. "Yeah but not with a kid, your job, demons attacking and dad's pettiness" the half demon grins at Prue. "I still work even with a little kid? Doesn't Cole work?" the Halliwell sister is surprised and also curious. „You still work but not as much as you used to and dad used to work" Phoenix whispers the last part and tries to avoid her mother's gaze. "He lost his work? Did he kill his secretary?" Prue jokes but on her daughter's face is no smile at all. "Oh my god he killed his secretary!". „No of course not! You two were fighting and that's why dad was drunk at work!" her daughter shouts angrily and wants to shimmer away. "No wait" Prue grabs her arm in time. "I am sorry. Don't go" she begs and Phoenix sits down again but stares at the ground. „Is he an alcoholic?" the future wife wants to know when she remembers the bottles on the beach. "He doesn't drink anymore in my time except when…" she stops and looks away. "When?"

„…you fight cos of your sisters" Phoenix finishes the sentence. „Does that happen often?" she takes her daughter in her arms. "Yeah they always interfere and try to agitate you against dad and sometimes it's too much for him" she wipes away her tears. "I am sorry that you had to endure our fights. Parents shouldn't fight in front of their children" her mother apologizes sad that her daughter had to see something like that as a child. "You tried to hide it but I could always see it in dad's eyes afterwards." she sadly admits. Prue wants to know more about her future but she doesn't want to make her daughter sad all the time. So they both sit in silence occupied in their own thoughts until orbs announce an arrival. They both separate just before Paige appears in the living room with Piper and her children in her arms. "Hey, demon attack. Can you watch them for two hours or so?" Piper asks hectically without even noticing Phoenix behind Prue on the couch. The two sisters orb away quickly when Prue just nods.

"Well what a great coincidence" Phoenix stands up and walks to her cousins. "Hey there buddies. I am Phoenix" she offers her hand to the boys. "Hello I am Wyatt" the oldest Halliwell kid shakes her hand. "That's my brother Chris and my sister Melinda" he points to his siblings. "Well Prue you wanted to go the grocery store right. Maybe they want to join you?" Phoenix emphasizes her words with her eyes. "Oh yes right. Of course. We go shopping and you watch Melinda" her mother fortunately understands immediately and leaves quickly with Wyatt and Chris.

Phoenix changes into Cole's appearance and takes Melinda out of her baby seat. The baby stares at the stranger curiously and smiles when the man makes funny faces. "You have to help me Melinda. I need to safe my dad and you're the key to his humanity" Phoenix/Cole states seriously in Cole's voice but her cousin only grabs her finger and tries to put it in her mouth. They both play for an hour and after that Phoenix/Cole baths Melinda which she greatly enjoys. Later Prue orbs into the flat totally exhausted with two sleeping boys in her arms. She puts them on the couch and looks for Phoenix but she can't see her anywhere and starts to panic. How can she be so stupid? She doesn't really know this woman and maybe everything was just a trick to get to Melinda. The oldest Halliwell witch already imagines all possible worst case scenarios.

"We are here" she suddenly hears a man's voice from the bathroom. Prue immediately raises her hands ready to attack when she sees Cole kneeling in front of the bath tub with Melinda in his arms. "Mum it's me, relax" her daughter states a little bit angry after hearing her mother's mistrusting thoughts. "Oh, sorry" she relaxes instantly and smiles at her niece who apparently loves to be in Phoenix'/Cole's arms. The witch looks at the strange sight of Cole holding a little baby but somehow she likes the sight in front of her even if it's not really Cole. Her daughter hears her mother's thoughts of course and grins like a Cheshire cat. Phoenix/Cole kisses her cousin who starts to giggle and when she bounces her up and down the room is filled with laughter. "I call Piper if everything is alright but don't go into the living room. The boys are there and they can't see you like this" Prue leaves to call her sister. "You are a good baby Melinda." Phoenix/Cole starts to blow on Melinda's belly which results in hilarious noises. The little infant bursts into laughter again when Phoenix/Cole continues to blow on her belly. Prue stands in the doorframe unnoticed and observes the two but soon she starts to laugh too infected by Melinda's contagious laughter. "Oh hey. Do they have to go back now?" Phoenix/Cole stops and Melinda starts to wail immediately. "Yeah Piper will be here in 5 minutes" her mum states still smiling at Melinda. „Then I have to get you into your clothes my little bunny" Phoenix/Cole kisses Melinda who tries to grab the funny man's face. "What?" she asks when she sees her mother's facial expression. "It's just strange to see Cole playing with my niece" Prue admits and immediately regrets her words cos her daughter looks kind of upset. "I didn't mean it that way" she tries to rescue the situation. "It's okay. I know you don't know dad that well at the moment" her daughter understands her behaviour somehow. _'And I am not sure if I want to get to know him at all'_ Prue thinks unconsciously cos the situation is still uncomfortable for her. Unfortunately she doesn't notice the hurt face of her daughter whose hopes are crushed once again after her mother's last thought.

Phoenix waves her hands and suddenly Melinda is dressed. She gives her cousin to Prue and walks past her mother without looking at her. "Hey wait what about personal gain?" her mother follows her into the living room where Phoenix already changed back into her own appearance. "I am a demon so that doesn't apply to me" the young woman tries to play dumb. "But you're also half witch and I am sure my future self doesn't allow you to use your powers for things like that" Prue starts a discussion as usual. "What you don't know won't hurt you" her daughter grins and Prue wants to object but Paige and Piper orb into the flat. They look surprised and a little bit shocked at the stranger but Phoenix doesn't say anything at all. "I thought you didn't sense a human here" Piper whispers through gritted teeth to Paige. "She is a witch" Prue has to stifle a laugh at her sister's faces. "Hi Piper and you are?" Piper takes the initiative and stretches out her hand. "I am Phoenix from the future" Prue's daughter introduces herself and shakes Pipers hand friendly. "I am …" the other Halliwell sister's starts but is interrupted by the stranger. "Yeah I know Paige, we are related" the half demon states calmly while her mother's jaw drops. "Really? Which of us is your mother?" Paige is curious and hopes Phoenix is her daughter cos she looks beautiful and then Paige would know she would find the right guy too one day. In panic Prue opens her mouth to interfere but her daughter is as cool as cucumber. "No Paige I am no one's daughter. We're only distantly related" she lies right into the face of her aunts. "You said you're from the future. So what do you want here?" Paige is suspicious and don't trust the alleged relative. "Sorry but I can't tell you the details cos I can't risk to change the future" Phoenix smiles devilishly and Prue can't hide a grin. "What demon attacked you by the way?" Prue changes the subject quickly and draws her sister's attention. Phoenix is glad her aunts don't still stare at her but while Piper explains which demon attacked them she notices that the pictures of Prue's future family including Cole are still laying on the table. Immediately she starts to panic and looks to her aunts but no one is looking in the direction of the table so Phoenix waves her hand and the pictures vanish unnoticed into Prue's nightstand. As soon as Piper explained everything Paige wants to ask the stranger some more questions but Melinda starts to cry hysterically in her mother's arms. The little one wants to go back to the funny man but she can't see him anywhere. "Shhh" Piper tries to calm her daughter without success. "Maybe she is hungry" Piper indicates to Paige to grab the boys and they orb home after a short goodbye.

"Melinda wanted to have Cole back" Prue tells Phoenix about Melinda's thoughts. "Well then everything is going according to plan" Phoenix already knows it of course cos she read her cousin's thoughts too. "Why did you tell them we're related?" her mother is curious. "Well I had to tell them something so they understand why you trust me and that was the best option". "But you know they will ask you all kind of questions about you and the future" Prue knows her sisters all too well. "Yeah I know but I will try not to be around them often" Phoenix doesn't want to be around them anyway. "That won't keep them from asking questions nonstop" Prue is sure about her curious sisters especially Phoebe. "I know how to keep a secret don't worry. I will go and see what dad is doing. So see you tomorrow" Phoenix excuses herself but Prue takes a hold of her arm. "I want to come with you" Prue surprises her daughter. "Mom it's easier if I am alone" Phoenix doesn't want her mother to see everything her dad will do while under the influence of his mother. "There is no arguing. I am coming with you" the stubborn witch already takes her jacket. "Okay but you can't look like yourself" Phoenix changes once again her mother's appearance and also her clothing. "Where do we go?" Prue looks in the mirror and eyes up her new look. "First we go to a demon club so be careful how you behave" the half demon warns her mother and takes her hand before she shimmers to the club. "Stay close to me and don't look at anyone" Phoenix warns her mother once more when they enter the club. "Where are we exactly?" Prue wants to know but asks quietly so that no one can hear her. "In the underworld mum" Phoenix whispers while they cleft through the crowd. Prue can hardly see her hand in front of her face due to the darkness which prevails in the whole club. The only colours which can be find in there are black and red and the air is filled with alcohol, sweat and smoke. At the end of the room is a huge bar where 3 bartenders serve the drinks. The rest of the room is filled with lounges and in the middle of each lounge is a little platform with a pole where strippers are dancing. The two women take their seats at the bar and Phoenix starts to scan the room for her dad whom is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile Prue is starring at a lounge next to the bar where a young stripper is dancing in front of two demons. The demons touch the young woman everywhere and when one of the demons pulls her roughly of the pole Prue starts to move. Her daughter stops her immediately and whispers "Mum these are demons that's normal here". Reluctantly the witch sits down again and unsuccessfully tries not to look into the direction of the young woman who is sitting next to the demon now. When the demon starts to open his pants Prue immediately looks in the other direction and starts to blush.

"He isn't here. We will look elsewhere" Phoenix takes her mother's arm and shimmers out. They materialise on a beach somewhere in France where it is cold and windy. The beach is beautiful and Prue would love to take some photos now but she can't even take a second look cos her daughter shimmers away all of a sudden. Again they stand on a beach but this time it's warm and sunny and there are many people swimming and playing in the sand. "No" Phoenix says and shimmers again with her mother in tow. "How can you be sure? You didn't have enough time to have a proper look around at all" Prue protests when they again materialise on a beach but this time it's dark and obviously in the middle of the night. Therefore the beach is deserted but in the distance they can see somebody sitting in the sand. "There he is" Phoenix and Prue hide behind a tree as soon as they spot Cole. As usual he is drinking and looks already drunk even from the distance. "Okay and what do we do now?" Prue wants to know. „We observe and if necessary we will protect him" Phoenix tells her mother but is only looking at her dad. "Of whom do we have to protect him?" her mother is curious. "Himself" her daughter only whispers sadly.

After two hours a police car arrives suddenly at the street right next to the beach. The two officers get out of the car and walk to a nearby house where they ring the bell. An old man opens the door and angrily points a finger in Cole's direction while he is ranting non-stop. "Oh no we can't let them come anywhere near dad. He will kill them in his drunken state immediately" Phoenix thinks about a plan. "Can you take him anywhere else when I distract the officers?" Prue has an idea but her daughter shakes her head. "I can't go near him he doesn't trust anyone and he is way too drunk" her daughter admits. "Okay distract them and I try to find a solution" her mother has to think fast cos the officers already approach Cole. "Help me. Help me" Prue suddenly hears and looks into the direction of the voice. She is surprised to see her daughter swimming in the ocean and shouting for help in the exact opposite direction of Cole. The officers react like they're supposed to and run to Phoenix where one of them jumps into the ocean to rescue her. Prue smiles and quickly approaches Cole from behind. She looks around and sees an empty beer bottle lying next to the bin. "I am sorry Cole" she waves her hand and smashes the glass bottle against Cole's head. The half demon is knocked unconscious but before his head hits the ground Prue orbs with him into her flat. Her daughter sees this and panics but first she has to shake off the officers. After a good excuse and a big apology Phoenix shimmers to her mother. "What are you thinking bringing him here?" the half witch angrily shouts soaking. „I didn't know where else to go okay" Prue apologizes while healing Cole's head wound. "Okay I get him out of here before he starts to wake up" Phoenix takes her dad's hand and shimmers to the underworld.

Arriving in a little and dark cave she puts her dad carefully onto the hay pile on the floor. "Hold on for a little bit longer dad and I will get you out of here" she kisses him tenderly on the forehead and shimmers back to her mother. "I am sorry. I didn't want to shout earlier" Phoenix apologises as soon as she arrives in the living room. "It's okay. I know you worry about him. Where did you bring him?" Prue quickly hugs the young woman. "Into the underworld. I hope he can sleep a little bit without his mother noticing it" Phoenix would love to kill that bitch. "Doesn't she like when Cole sleeps in?" she jokes but her daughter's face holds no smile. "She doesn't like him to sleep at all. She doesn't allow a weak human emotion like tiredness. He isn't allowed to sleep or eat cos demons don't need to do such things" the half demon is angry and clenches her fist. "But if he is half demon he needs to eat right?" Prue isn't sure about it. "Yeah he is human after all so of course he has to eat, sleep and drink." her daughter looks at her in disbelief.

"Are you hungry? We could order a pizza and watch a movie?" the Halliwell witch interrupts the silence eventually. "That would be great and I would love to take a bath if it's okay" her daughter smiles at her. "Of course. What pizza do you want? I will order it in half an hour so you have minimum an hour to bath until they deliver" Prue quickly takes out the brochure of the delivery service. "I like anything but I need a big one" Phoenix doesn't need to look at it and disappears into the bathroom. The Halliwell sister sits down on the sofa and flips through the brochure. After she has chosen her pizza she goes into the kitchen and takes out 2 plates and a pizza cutter. Half an hour later Prue calls the delivery service to order the pizzas and then sits down in front of the TV. On time the delivery boy rings the bell and Prue puts the pizzas on the coffee table before she knocks on the bathroom door. "Phoenix the pizza is here" she shouts through the door but her daughter quickly opens it. "I am not dump you know" she smiles at her mother. "Sorry" her mother apologizes promptly. The women sit down on the couch and put some pizza on their plate. Prue starts the movie and they both enjoy the delicious meal without talking. "How can you eat so much and be so slim?" Prue wants to know her daughter's secret. "I am a demon mum. We have a good metabolism" Phoenix swallows the last bite of her XXL pizza. "That is unfair" her mother pouts with a smile. "Yeah watch out when choosing your career mum" the half demon jokes and both laugh. Suddenly the half demon grabs her head and her mother is at her side quickly. "What's wrong?" she worries about her daughter. "It's dad he suffers. I need to find him" Phoenix tries to concentrate on her connection to her dad. "Wait I will come with you" she isn't comfortable if her daughter is alone while Cole is still dangerous. "No mum you can't come with me" the half demon shimmers but her mother grabs her arm in the last moment.

So they both materialise in the underworld in a small and empty cave. "Are you nuts?" Phoenix is angry with her little stowaway. Prue wants to answer but they hear someone shout in a nearby cave. Carefully they access the huge cave and hide behind a rock to observe the scene. Cole is kneeling in front of his mother Eliza and she has her red glowing hand on his shoulder. "Did you already forget who you are?" she shouts at Cole who is obviously convulsed with pain and only shakes his head. "We are demons! We don't sleep!" she intensifies her grip on Cole's shoulder. "I know" her son says in a pleading voice. "Then why did I find you sleeping?" his mother gets angrier by every minute. "I don't know" Cole only whispers while trying to hide his pain his mother's grip causes. "You don't know?" his mother sends her fist right into Cole's face. Cole's nose breaks with a loud crack but he doesn't dare to make a sound and keeps his gaze on the ground while blood is running out of his nose. "Get out of my sight!" Eliza shouts and Cole shimmers away immediately. "Raga" she calls after her so called son left. A demon with a green skin and red eyes shimmers into the cave. "My liege" he bows before Eliza. "Does he take the potion regularly? she asks the demon. "Yes my liege but…" the demon is clearly afraid. "But?" Eliza glares dangerously at him and the demon backs off afraid. "He …he sometimes hesitates for a few seconds" the demon whispers and Eliza slams him against the wall with her telekinesis. "You will report to me immediately if he even just leaves a single drop in the bottle. Do you understand?" Eliza shouts at him and the demon bows happy to be alive. "If he doesn't lose his humanity soon he will be no use for us" Eliza declares and the demon is surprised. "My liege he is after all your son" the demon doesn't dare to look at her. "I don't need a weak halfblood at my side. If he doesn't start to act as a demon soon I will personally kill him in front of the whole underworld" states without any emotions. "Yes my liege" the demon shimmers out of the cave.

Phoenix grabs her mother's hand and shimmers them home. She tries to hide her tears but Prue notices it of course. She hugs her daughter and the half demon welcomes the hug while crying about her dad. "How can she be so cruel" she sobs in her mother's arms. "I don't know sweetie but we will get him out of there and send her ass to hell" Prue promises to the upset girl. "We have to be prepared when they attack. I will take care of dad. I hope I can somehow convince his mother of his evil side without dad actually doing something evil" the half demon dries her tears and breaks the hug. "Okay and when exactly do they attack us?" the Halliwell sister wants to get more information. "On 21st May" her daughter looks at the calendar on the wall. "Well at least we have 3 months to prepare everything. I will call Piper tomorrow and offer my help with Melinda" Prue is determined to help her daughter. "Thanks mum" Phoenix hugs her gratefully. Prue starts to yawn and Phoenix smiles. "See you tomorrow mum" the half demon shimmers to a beach where she assumes to find her dad. Cole sits in the sand with his still bloody nose, drinks whiskey and stares at the ocean. Phoenix stays in the distance and conjures a blanket to cover her in the cold night. For hours she just observes her dad even after he fell asleep due to the alcohol and his overwhelming tiredness.


	7. Chapter 7

Prue wakes up early in the morning and can't go back to sleep cos she can't stop to think about the behaviour of Cole's mother yesterday. How can a mother treat her own son like that? Would she really kill Cole without hesitation? Her own mother died to protect her sisters and herself so could there really be such a big difference between a witch and a demon mother? She couldn't imagine such a cruel act of any mother however she wouldn't have imagined a mother who breaks her son's nose on purpose without batting an eye and no remorse at all. Prue's thoughts are interrupted when her alarm clock starts to ring. She sighs and climbs out of bed to prepare breakfast. As soon as she finishes her meal Prue dresses and packs all her stuff into her bags. Today she has many appointments for different photo sessions so she has a busy day ahead. Already too late she just quickly grabs her stuff and rushes out of her flat.

It's already late in the afternoon when Prue notices Phoenix standing behind a tree. Nevertheless she tries to concentrate on her customers in front of her but it's not easy cos the half demon stares kind of angrily in her direction without even blinking. After saying goodbye to the customers Prue hurries to the young woman but before she reaches her Phoenix just shimmers away without a word. Dumbfounded the Halliwell sister goes back to her car and drives home. She enters her home and is surprised to find it empty cos she would have expected to find the half demon here now. "Phoenix?" Prue calls into the air but nothing happens. „Phoenix please" she begs this time but there is again no answer so she puts down her stuff and walks into the kitchen. There she cooks some pasta and puts two bowls and two forks on the coffee table. "Phoenix dinner is ready" she tries again to call her daughter to no avail. So she sits down and starts to eat after waiting for another half an hour but she isn't really hungry nor can she concentrate on the TV. For hours the witch swaps through the channels and paces up and down from time to time and with any further minute her worry about the young woman grows.

It's almost midnight when Prue decides to try to go to bed when suddenly Phoenix shimmers in. "Where were you? I was worried sick!" Prue starts to yell full of worry. "Really? To me it looked like you were busy taking care of other people rather than the well-being of your own family!" the exhausted half demon yells too. "Sorry but I have a job so I have to take care of my customers sometimes!" the Halliwell sister justifies her actions angrily. "Did you call Piper at all?" Phoenix asks and doesn't need an answer from Prue cos she looks guilty immediately. "Did you even think about dad today once? No you were busy making strangers happy!" Phoenix throws a plant off the coffee table with her telekinesis. "I am so sorry. I … I forgot…" Prue stammers an apology but her daughter interrupts her. "You forgot your family! I know you don't care about us at all but you wanted to help me get him out of there at least!" Phoenix tries to be calm but tears are already running down her face. "Of course I care about you and Cole I was just so busy today that I forgot to call Piper. It's the first thing I will do tomorrow I promise" she takes her daughter in her arms who at first tries to fight the hug but gives in quickly. "I am really sorry Phoenix. I will put it right" she apologizes again truly sorry. As soon as both women calmed down a little bit Phoenix breaks the hug and Prue carefully asks "Why are you really angry? Is Cole alright?"

„Dad almost got killed by a witch earlier" Phoenix blurts out immediately still upset. The Halliwell witch suddenly has a lump in her throat cos she doesn't know if she really wants to know how her daughter protected her dad from the witch. Of course the half demon is disappointed her mother still doesn't trust her fully when she hears her thoughts. "He was drunk and still tried to kill a witch whom his mother wanted to get rid of" she starts to explain casually nevertheless. "How did you save him?" her mother asks still not sure if she really wants to know the answer. "Dad hesitated as usual cos he doesn't really want to kill someone. So when the witch was throwing the knife at dad I knocked him out and switched his position with another demon. The witch things she killed dad and dad will have a huge hangover" her daughter smiles proud about her solution. "That was smart" Prue has to admit and smiles back. "Yeah but dad will suffer again as soon as his mother notices his failure" the half demon is sad. "I know but we will get him out of there soon" her mother promises again while Phoenix yawns.

The closer Prue looks at her daughter the more she sees how tired and exhausted she seems. "You need to sleep. You look really exhausted" Prue lays it on the line as usual. "Yeah I know but I have to look after dad after all he is defenseless at the moment" Phoenix really wants to sleep but she is too afraid something would happen to her dad. "I can look after him for you" her mother volunteers for the next night shift. "No mum that's nice of you but you don't know how he will react in certain situations" she wants to take care of her dad as good as possible. "He is drunk so he will sleep for hours right and if I have a problem I can always call you" the stubborn witch never gives up. Her daughter ponders the situation for a minute but then gives in too tired to discuss anything further. "Okay but you have to stay with him non-stop. Don't touch him or go near him. Just look out for him and if anything happens call me first." Phoenix instructs her mother precisely. „Of course, you don't have to worry" her mother smiles in her I-have-won style. "Okay I will change your appearance but don't go near him and please remember don't touch him" the half demon states again. "You're repeating yourself" Prue teases and still grins triumphantly. "Okay I will get you to him" Phoenix grabs her mother's arm as well as a blanket and shimmers to a beautiful beach which is only accessible by air or water. Cole is still lying under the tree where Phoenix left him earlier. The half demon looks the worse for wear and his clothes are bloody. "Is he badly injured?" Prue wants to know when she sees all the blood. "The witch did hit him quite often but as soon as he is awake he will get to a demonic healer" her daughter knows her dad but still don't like to see him injured. "Okay you can go. I will protect him and you can catch up some sleep." she wants to get her daughter into the bed but Phoenix hesitates. "I will protect him with my life if necessary" her mother promises faithfully and looks her straight into the eyes. Phoenix smiles cos she knows her mother really means it. "Thanks mum" she hugs her and shimmers away.

The witch sits down in the sand and makes herself comfortable with the blanket. Unfortunately it doesn't take long till the half demon is haunted by nightmares like every night. He tosses and turns clearly terrified which breaks Prue's heart. After half an hour the witch can't stand it anymore and carefully enters Cole's mind with her telepathy. She tries to influence him just a little bit to chase away the nightmares. Unfortunately this way Prue sees his nightmares too and the way the source tortured him while he tried to protect her sisters. It makes her sad and a little bit angry cos her sisters should have noticed the possession and therefore could have saved the half demon instead of just killing him. Although it takes a while Prue can finally overpower his nightmares and give him some peace to sleep properly even if it is just for a short time. Just when she nearly falls asleep two hours later Cole wakes up and whines when he tries to stand up. He can't really remember anything but his hand is full of blood when he touches his chest. Like phoenix predicted the half demon shimmers away and Prue grabs her blanket to orb home and go to bed quickly. Though she is utterly exhausted she is also happy she could help Phoenix as well as Cole.

After only 4 hours sleep Prue's happiness is completely gone and the readiness to support her daughter is yielded by pure tiredness. She gets herself out of bed with great afford and hops into the shower to get herself awake. When Prue walks into the kitchen in her red bathrobe she is greeted by her daughter who looks recovered and well-rested. "Good morning" Prue mumbles too tired to talk. "Did anything happen last night?" Phoenix wants to know although she already "visited" her dad to be sure he is okay. "Everything was fine except his nightmares" her mother yomps to the cupboard and takes out a coffee cup. "I made coffee for you" her daughter smiles happily and points to the coffeepot. "You are a good kid" the tired witch jokes and pours coffee in her cup. "I know" Phoenix smiles proudly and takes a sip from her orange juice. "Wow it tastes awesome" her mother is surprised about the great taste. "Dad taught me how to do it right." her daughter smiles even prouder. „Does he always have these nightmares?" Prue asks seriously and also worried. "At the moment yes. Though it got better but he needed your help and patience to overcome the nightmares." her daughter understandably doesn't like to see her dad suffer. "Phoenix you know I can't …" Prue starts to talk herself out of the responsibility but Phoenix interrupts her previously. "Mum I know you don't love him it's okay" her daughter smiles though she is highly visible disappointed. The Halliwell sister wants to object or say something to make her feel better but she doesn't want to lie. She doesn't love Cole nor does she want to have a relationship with him at all. Of course she feels sorry for what her sisters did to him and his current state but it's nothing more than pity and she doesn't want to give Phoenix false hope. "Well thanks for helping me out last night. I will look for dad now and try to manipulate him a little bit. See you later" Phoenix excuses herself and shimmers away.

Prue instantly feels bad but she tries to ignore the guilty feeling in her heart and calls Piper. "Hey Piper it's me. Yeah everything is alright. Yes she is still here. I don't know okay she didn't tell me either. No I know she says the truth about being our relative. The reason I call is to offer you some help with Melinda. I know you don't have much time with Wyatt and Chris anymore and I could take Melinda every Wednesday for two hours so you can do something with the boys." the oldest sister really hopes Piper likes the idea. "No I don't have to work. My Wednesdays are always free in the morning now so I have some time" Prue lies to her when she asks more questions. At the other end of the phone Piper is surprised by her sister's offer but also happy that Prue wants to spend some time with Melinda. "Okay that would be great. I will bring Melinda on Wednesday at 10 o'clock. Oh and we would like to have dinner with you today at 8 o'clock and don't forget to bring Phoenix with you" Piper slams down the phone so her sister can't object. "Great" Prue isn't excited about the dinner cos she knows her sisters only want to interrogate her daughter but at least she could convince Piper to get Melinda for one day every week. She has breakfast and then quickly heads off to her next appointment. Six exhausting hours later she sits in a little café and reads the newspaper while drinking coffee. "Hey mum" suddenly Phoenix takes a seat next to her mother. "Hey, how did you find me?" her mother is surprised. "I have my ways" Phoenix doesn't want to explain it any further and orders a piece of cake when the waiter passes her. "Oh don't eat too much. Piper invited us for dinner today" Prue warns her daughter but she shrugs her shoulders. "I am a good eater so don't worry" the half demon quickly swallows the cake. "I can see that" her mother stifles a laugh. "Well what time do they want to have dinner?". „At 8 o'clock" Prue answers and takes a sip from her coffee. "Okay I will be at your flat at 8 then" Phoenix stands up but stops when her mother speaks to her again.

"You know they will ask you questions non-stop" Prue is really worried that her sisters could find out about their real degree of relationship. "Yeah I know but I know how to avoid questions" Phoenix learnt how to interrogate someone so she knows how to keep a secret to herself very well. "Okay. What did you do today?" the Halliwell witch doesn't want her daughter to leave yet. So the half demon sits down again and steals the cookie from Prue's coffee cup. "I mainly helped dad and influenced him so that he would allow to feel emotions again" Phoenix explains while eating the cookie. "Did it work?" Prue is curious. „Yeah for a short time but he always shuts down emotionally as soon as the bad memories return" Phoenix doesn't like to cause her dad pain but it's the only way. "Hey it's okay. You are just trying to help him" Prue touches her hand sympathetically. "I know but I hate to see him like that" Phoenix' eyes well up with tears. "Do you want to go to the beach or do you have to go back to Cole" the Halliwell witch wants to get to know the young woman. "The beach would be great" her daughter smiles and Prue pays the bill quickly.

The two women drive to a beautiful beach nearby and sit down in the sand. "I love the beach" Phoenix states while they both stare at the ocean. "Do we often do something together? As a family I mean" Prue asks her daughter. "Yeah we always do something at the weekends if dad is around" Phoenix loves to think about the happy times with her family. "If Cole is around?" Prue digs deeper though still afraid to make Phoenix cry again. "Well when you two fight dad tends to just leave cos he is afraid to lose control" the half demon doesn't like to talk about it but understands her mother's curiosity of course and wants to be honest. "Does he lose control?" the witch is afraid Cole is after all still too dangerous. "Sometimes he can't control himself but he would never hurt us" Phoenix clarifies quickly cos she can hear her mother's worried thoughts. "Don't you think it would be better if I try to talk to him and apologize for my sister's behaviour" Prue still doesn't like the idea of being trapped by Cole's mother. "No you saw how he is at the moment. He would attack you and if his mother realizes your interference she will change the plan and therefore the future. We can't risk that" Phoenix tries to convince her mother. "Okay but I really don't like the idea getting trapped and being defenseless" Prue is honest as usual. "I know and I promise I will protect you and the others if necessary even against dad" the young woman whispers the last words hoping it won't come to that. "We will get him out of there" her mother tries to sound confident. "I know you hate him. So thanks for your help" Phoenix is deeply grateful for her mother's help. "I don't hate him" Prue corrects her daughter who gives her a disbelieving look. "Okay maybe I hated him back then but not after everything he did to save my sisters." Prue admits for the first time. "Wow dad would love to hear that. Mark your calendar Prue Halliwell admits a mistake" Phoenix jokes about it and Prue is offended. "Hey it's not my fault I don't make mistakes often" the stubborn witch laughs and they both hug each other. "We should build a sandcastle" the young woman suddenly starts to pile sand with her hands. "Oh no no. I am not building a sandcastle. It's ridiculous and …" the adult woman declares but her daughter interrupts her quickly. "Bla bla bla. Mum you have a kid so you have to build sandcastles. So come on help me" Phoenix doesn't allow excuses and Prue starts to help her reluctantly. Two hours later the sandcastles is finished and Phoenix is satisfied with their work. "See was it that bad?" she can't help to tease her mother. "It's still useless" Prue would never admit it was fun to build it. "Well I will go and see what dad is doing. I will be at your flat at 8" Phoenix leaves the beach after Prue nods. The all grown up witch quickly goes to her car grabs her camera and makes a picture of their sandcastle. She tries different ankles to have the best possible picture and has to smile at her own behaviour afterwards. After sitting at the beach for a little while she grabs her stuff and drives home to prepare for the family dinner.

Point 8 o'clock Phoenix shimmers into her mother's flat wearing a red dress, bling-bling and her hair is braided at the sides of her head. Prue immediately feels proud and grins without saying a word. "Something wrong" the half demon is insecure if her dress is dirty or something and looks down to check everything. "No … you just look beautiful" her mother finds her voice and is beaming with pride. "Thanks. It's not too much?" Phoenix is afraid to be overdressed. "No you look stunning. I absolutely love the earrings" her mother takes a closer look at them. "That's no surprise. These are your earrings mum. They were a present from dad to your first wedding anniversary" Phoenix admits her burglary with a smile. Prue is surprised but she also feels loved cos they look wonderful and also really expensive. She touches the red heart which is sparkling due to Swarovski elements. The heart is attached to a silver chain and the chain hangs loosely through the hole in Phoenix' earlobe. "Did you steal them from me?" Prue teases her daughter and Phoenix nods trying to smile but Prue can see through that lie. "We have to go or we will be late and you know how mad aunt Piper gets then" her daughter quickly changes the topic before Prue can ask further questions.

"Well then let's go and if you need help or if it's too much just give me a sign and we will leave okay?" the Halliwell sister knows all too well how pushy her sisters can be and wants to protect the still young woman. "I can handle them mum but thanks" Phoenix isn't afraid of her aunts' interrogation. Prue takes her arm and orbs them to the Halliwell manor where the other Halliwell sisters and the kids are all gathered in the living room. They stop their talking as soon as the two newcomers arrive. "Hi" Piper hugs Prue and eyeballs Phoenix. "Wow you look awesome" Piper eyeballs the half demon in her beautiful dress while Paige greets the young woman too. "Hi I am Phoebe" the ex-wife of Cole shakes hand with the half demon. "Hi, Phoenix" the half demon tries to sound nice though she wants to slap that bitch right in her face multiple times. "Hi kids" she quickly greets the rest of the family. "Well let's eat then" Piper points to the dining table and they take their seats quickly. The kids have their own little table with cutlery suitable for children and plastic dishes. Of course Piper has outdone herself and the table is quickly filled with many bowls full of delicious looking and even better smelling food. Phoenix can't wait to eat and looks at all the bowls still pondering which one to take first. Piper sees the hungry eyes of the young woman and smiles. "Well thanks for coming" the chief smiles at her new found distant relative. "I hope you find something you like or do you have any allergies" she totally forgot to ask Prue about that. "Thanks it all looks delicious and I am not allergic to anything" Phoenix answers politely. "Well then enjoy your meal" as soon as the words left Piper's mouth everyone grabs a bowl and fills their plate. Though Phoenix is hungry as a hunter she remembers her manners and tries not to overload her plate. The food is delicious and the half demon has to hold herself together otherwise she would eat like a horse. While eating Piper takes a look around and is satisfied with all the happy faces but also notices Phoenix impressive table manners. The experienced chief of course notices the difference between the young woman and rest of the family cos unlike all the others she is holding the fork and knife properly. During the dinner the whole family is silent due to their full mouths but when everyone is finished except Phoenix they start talking.

The half demon is glad she is still eating cos she noticed the curious look her aunt Piper was giving her during the whole meal. For sure there would be many questions coming from her so she was glad she could buy herself some time and eat delicious food at once. "You must have been really hungry" Piper can't wait anymore. "Yeah but it is also really delicious. You should open a restaurant" Phoenix quickly swallows the last bite in order to not speak with a full mouth. "Thanks that would be my dream but I am afraid it will never come true" Piper is sad thinking about it. "The day you give up on your dream is the day you give up on yourself" the half demon mumbles remembering the words. "That's so true. Who said that?" Phoebe interferes and all the others look at Phoenix now too. "My dad" she states and finishes the last bite on her plate to avoid looking at the sisters. "Did your dad ever achieve his dream?" Piper is curious about him but Phoenix shakes her head sadly. "No but it wasn't a real dream it was just false hope cos it was never possible to achieve regardless how hard he tried". "That's sad what was it?" Paige asks the young woman. "I'd rather not talk about it" Phoenix tries to end the conversation and sends a pleading look to her mother. "Well do we have dessert?" Prue changes the topic to give her obviously upset daughter some space. "Of course" Piper stands up while all the others still look at Prue's daughter. Phoebe has a strange feeling when looking at the young woman. She looks so familiar but Phoebe can't pinpoint why and surprisingly her empathy isn't working on her either. "What powers do you have?" Paige asks not leaving the young woman alone. "Random powers nothing special. Telekinesis mainly" Phoenix tries to sound boring. "And how exactly are we related?" Paige can't stop mistrusting the stranger cos she has a bad feeling about the girl. "I can't tell you that of course" Phoenix keeps calm even she really hates her aunt Paige cos she was always the one who tormented her dad nonstop. "Aha but you're not anyone's daughter?" Paige won't let go until she has answers. "No" Prue's daughter lies and is glad when Piper returns with the dessert. Everyone grabs a bowl of the chocolate pudding and the room falls silent again. 'I am sorry' Prue telepathically apologizes for her sister's behaviour and Phoenix smiles without looking at her mum.

After the dessert Piper starts to ask questions again but other than Paige she just wants to get to know the girl. "Who taught you those wonderful table manners?" the chief has to know really bad still deeply impressed. "My dad when we were in France" Phoenix' face immediately lights up thinking about that vacation. Lost in her thoughts she doesn't notice the sister's expectantly stares until Prue coughs and brings her back in the here and now. "What did you do in France?" Phoebe breaks the silence. "We were on vacation in North France and I wanted to go into a really expensive restaurant but dad said it isn't suitable for kids. I bothered him until he gave in but he had one condition. I had to learn how to behave in such a restaurant so he taught me everything. When the day came I was so nervous but dad surprised me with a new dress and during the dinner I felt like a real lady" Phoenix reminisces about the vacation. "That's sounds wonderful. How old were you back then?" Piper has to hold back her tears. "I was 6 or maybe 7 years old" the half demon smiles thinking about her dad. "And how old are you now?" Phoebe asks the next question, "I am almost 16" Phoenix tells the truth though she knows she looks older already. "And what do you want here again?" Paige interrupts the happy memory with her mistrust. "As I already said I can't say anything about the future. So you can stop trying" Phoenix would never tell them anything about the future especially not about her dad. "If you can't say anything about it then how shall we help you?" the half whitelighter doesn't like to be clueless at all. "You don't have to help me. There was a reason I showed up at Prue's flat and not here" the half demon doesn't want to speak to her bitchy aunt anymore. "So Prue knows everything?" Paige looks angry in Prue's direction. "No she doesn't know more than you about the future" Prue's daughter slowly loses her patience and folds her arms otherwise she would burn her aunt to ashes with a nice energy ball directly hitting her face. "I don't believe you" Paige hisses but Phoenix only smiles and already prepares a repartee. "Stop it Paige. She is our guest" Piper interferes before Prue can say something similar. "I don't trust her and maybe you should believe me this time" Paige states and leaves the room while Piper and Phoebe look at each other guilty. Phoenix on the other hand has to stay calm cos she understands Paige's bitter remark about the time her dad was possessed and Paige tried to convince the others he was evil again. "Well I think it's time to go" Prue wants to get her daughter far far away from Paige now. "It was nice to meet you. Maybe we can repeat it soon" Piper already likes the kid though she doesn't know her that well yet. "Thanks the food was delicious" Phoenix gives thanks to her aunt for the dinner. "And sorry for Paige's mistrust. We just have to be really careful cos we already were betrayed by a family member once" Phoebe explains it and for a short time she can feel the young woman's anger before Phoenix can shut her out again. "It's okay, see you" Phoenix waves goodbye to the kids and Prue orbs them back home.

"I am so sorry about the things they said and how Paige treated you" her mother bursts out as soon as they materialize in her living room. "It's okay mum" Phoenix could hear Prue's thoughts throughout the whole dinner anyway. "No it's not okay. If they would know about what really happened to Cole they wouldn't talk about him like that" she justifies her sister's behaviour. "No they wouldn't care. It never made a difference for them even though they knew what really happened to dad" Phoenix' anger rises again thinking about her so called family. "As soon as they know about Cole I will talk to them" Prue promises and is sure her sisters will understand Cole's misery. "You did it multiple times but they never admitted that they killed an innocent!" Phoenix shouts by now and Prue hugs her caringly. "Sorry I didn't want to shout at you" the half demon apologizes when she has calmed down. "It's okay you have every right to be angry" Prue understands it of course but her daughter shakes her head. "But not at you. You had nothing to do with it after all you were dead back then". "Yeah but I didn't exactly behaved different when I was alive. I never trusted him and always tried to separate my sister and Cole" Prue admits feeling guilty in front of her daughter. "I know the stories mum and trust me dad always liked you and you will laugh about it together one day" she doesn't want her mum to feel guilty instead of her aunts. "He liked me?" Prue always had another impression but then again she didn't really know him and never talked to him if it wasn't absolutely necessary. "Yeah do you remember the Wild West town where you had to work together to save Phoebe. He was glad you were there with him to talk some sense into him although he is still pouting you didn't want to wear that pretty little red dress" she teases her mother and they both laugh. "What was it Cole could never achieve?" Prue asks serious again after the joke. "He just wanted to be accepted by your sisters" Phoenix states what the Halliwell witch already figured during the dinner. "I am sorry" her mother doesn't know what else to say to her daughter. "Don't be it's not your fault they're small-minded and only see the world in black and white" the half demon is still disappointed by her aunts' behaviour be it now or in the future. Her mother keeps quiet cos unfortunately she can't change her sister's attitudes but she will try nevertheless as soon as they know Cole is alive. "I will go now mum. See you okay" Phoenix is tired and also worries about her dad. "Okay good night" Prue hugs her and the half demon shimmers away.


End file.
